present invention relates to safety tongs, and more particularly to tongs which are especially adapted for use with steam tables which are used for keeping foods warm in a restaurant. Such steam tables generally include a plurality of cutout portions which support pans therein. Each pan receives food of different types, and some foods may contain a considerable amount of liquid including grease. It is a principal object of the invention to provide tongs which may be safely used in this type of environment where the various components of the steam table are very hot, and where foods to be picked up by the tongs are also quite hot and include hot liquids which could injure the hands of a person utilizing the tongs.
Prior art tongs used with steam tables usually employ metallic components. The metallic components often extend from one end of the tongs to the other whereby heat is readily transmitted between opposite ends of the tongs. There is accordingly a possibility of a person's hands coming into contact with a dangerously hot portion of the tongs remote from the gripping end. It is therefore desirable to provide means for insulating the metallic components at opposite ends of the tongs from one another so that this dangerous condition is eliminated.
Another problem encountered with the prior art is that when food is lifted up by the tongs, the gripping portions thereof become elevated above the handles thereof so that there is a tendency for hot liquids associated with the food to run down to the handles of the tongs and into contact with a person's hands. It is important to provide a construction which prevents hot liquids from coming into contact with a person's hands in this manner.
A further problem which arises in connection with the use of tongs with a steam table is the fact that the tongs are generally placed so as to rest on the edge of a pan in the steam table. Tongs will often slide down into the food within the pan, which of course is unsatisfactory. It is accordingly important to provide tongs with a construction which will prevent the tongs from sliding into an associated pan and further which will also prevent a person's hand from sliding forward on the tongs to a position where the hand could come into contact with heated material of one kind or another.
Tongs of conventional construction include crevices or spaces within which food particles can accumulate. This is disadvantageous since germs can breed in areas where food accumulates, and therefore it is important to eliminate any such crevices or spaces to the extent possible. The tongs should also be formed of a material which is durable, resists bending and which also does not contaminate the food with which it is used.
The tongs should also have a natural feel when in use, and should be durable and long lasting with minimum maintenance requirements.